There was a research study out of the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, a non-profit making scientific electronic journal, providing research and case studies, in the fields of sports medicine and the exercise sciences (1). They compared Muscle Activation between the Barbell Bench-Press and Dumbbell Flies in Resistance-Trained Males. More specifically, the subjects in the study were men that have weighted trained for at least 4 – 6 years.  

The aim of this study was to compare muscle activity in the pectoralis major, deltoid anterior, triceps brachii, and biceps brachii during training loads typical for increasing strength.

• Pectoralis Major – Muscle in the upper and anterior part of the thorax, the action this large muscle assists in drawing the shoulder forward and rotating the arm inward (2).
• Deltoid Anterior – a large, triangular muscle covering the joint of the shoulder, the action of which raises the arm away from the side of the body (3).
• Triceps Brachii – muscle found in back of the arm, having three heads, its extends the forearm   (4).
• Biceps Brachii – a flexor muscle located in the front of the upper arm and assisting in bending the arm (5).

DETAILS

The study consisted of 17 men between the ages of 20 to 25 years (6). To limit potential confounds, the research made sure that select subjects were only included in the study if they were familiar with the exercises and used both exercises frequently in their resistance-program within last six months. They also set more baseline requirements such as requiring that participating subjects have the capability of benching their own body weight. And last, all subjects had no injuries prior to starting the study.

FINDINGS

Before I tell you what they found, it might be useful to know that the researchers in this study used electromyography as a measure to assess and gather data to analyze their results for comparisons and differences. See the bullet point below to find out what electromyography is.

• Electromyography -also known as EMG, it is an electrodiagnostic medicine technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles. EMG is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph to produce a record called an electromyogram (7).

Results

The barbell bench-press won in most cases, except one, regarding increased muscle activation in the various upper-body muscle groups noted above. In the pectoralis major, the researchers found that average EMG activity in the pectoralis major was 16% higher in the barbell bench press when compared to the dumbbell fly. In the Anterior deltoids, the researchers found that average EMG activity was 25% higher in the barbell bench press when comparison to the dumbbell fly. And last, in the triceps brachia, the researchers found the average EMG activation to be 75% higher than the dumbbell fly by comparison (8).

However, when it comes to muscle activation in the biceps, the researchers found that average EMG activity in the biceps brachii was 76% higher in the dumbbell fly when compared to the barbell bench-press.

­­­­­­­­TO CLOSE – LAST WORDS

What can we take from this study?

If you are implementing a new training regimen and your primary goal is to maximize strength and power by increasing muscle activity in your pecs, delts, or triceps, the study suggests the barbell bench press over the dumbbell fly. This is because the barbell bench-press is more effective in provide better overall muscle activation when compared to the dumbbell fly. However, if you want more bicep activation, dumbbell fly takes the lead.

Me personally, I recommend the incorporating both, the barbell bench press and dumbbell fly, into your fitness routine if you can. When creating your training regimen, make the barbell bench press your chest primary exercise and use the dumbbell fly as a follow up isolation exercise towards the end of the workout to target additional areas of the upper body. Include the dumbbell fly in your workout can also assist with leveling out any imbalances because each dumb bell forces your muscles carry the weight loads equally.

I hope you found this blog post informative and helpful. Be sure to comment below and let me know your thoughts or give me some feedback. Also, don’t forget to sign up to our email list to stay up-to-date  with future YAstrength.com content.

REFERENCES

1. https://www.jssm.org/
2. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pectoralis#:~:text=Anatomy.,the%20shoulder%20downward%20and%20forward
3. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/deltoid
4. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/triceps#:~:text=any%20muscle%20having%20three%20heads,brachii)%20that%20extends%20the%20forearm
5. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/biceps
6. Tom Erik Solstad, Vidar Andersen, Matthew Shaw, Erlend Mogstad Hoel, Andreas Vonheim, Atle Hole Saeterbakken. (2020) A Comparison of Muscle Activation between Barbell Bench Press and Dumbbell Flyes in Resistance-Trained Males. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (19), 645 – 651.
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromyography
8. Tom Erik Solstad, Vidar Andersen, Matthew Shaw, Erlend Mogstad Hoel, Andreas Vonheim, Atle Hole Saeterbakken. (2020) A Comparison of Muscle Activation between Barbell Bench Press and Dumbbell Flyes in Resistance-Trained Males. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (19), 645 – 651.
9. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com